While shopping online at Game Kastle, I came across a Cromlech set of sci fi containers in their sale section. I picked these up (along with a few other morsels). I figured they would work with my Star Wars Legion terrain.
The set arrived in a blister pack, with each crate attached to a sprue. The models are done in a semi soft light grey resin. This is much like the resin used by GW. Not being too hard, it is easy to trim and cut. This was good news, as the connection point on the sprue was huge. Had this been older hard brittle resin, I would have had to saw it off and be very careful. With this material, a set of snips and an Xacto did the trick.
I decided I wanted these to be a little colorful, as my current boxes are all grey and white and I needed a little color. So, I sprayed the models white (still on the sprue to make later handling easier). I then pulled out three colors of GW contrast paints. A white, red, grey and blue. These dried and did a great job settling into the cracks. The blue and red covered well, but the grey did not. The white is an amazing shade for simple white schemes. The grey was more of a heavy wash. This did not concern me too much, as I planned a wet brush to cover all the upper surfaces. So, I hit each box with a lighter shade paint. This gives a nice model with depth in only two steps. I could have gone back an edge lined the crates, but I did not think it was needed. I then painted the symbols on top of each crate to give some more color and interest. I finished up with a satin spray using Krylon Dull Coat.
I really like the contrast painted for small pieces of terrain that need depth (it is too expensive for large pieces). It takes out the need to add a wash or do multiple layers of highlights. It still needs a highlight coat, as some of the colors are a little thin and the ones that are not will often dry splotchy on flat upper surfaces. However, two steps is much better than three or four!
- Manteuffel